Threats facing the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps are evolving rapidly, making innovations in early-warning architectures critical. Shipboard radar systems are progressing far quicker than what was previously possible because of the exploitation of modern-day technologies like gallium nitride (GaN) components and continuous software deployment, automated testing, and digitization. To better enable the development of these systems, naval researchers and electronics providers are looking to utilize commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products, open architectures, and even artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).

Increased U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) funding is targeting radar and electronic warfare (EW) systems to counter complex threats such as electronic counter-countermeasures, to stay ahead of their adversaries. This demand is also driving innovation in the military test and measurement community to add sophistication and efficiency to the test and evaluation process to improve capability. Meanwhile, cognitive EW applications are inspiring new test designs.

Despite an uncertain business climate, defense spending in the upcoming years is forecasted to remain in alignment with previous years; in some regions the figure is even escalating. Three specific initiatives will drive the future of defense logistics and build that all-important digital backbone for military – live-asset usage data, disconnected or “anywhere” military operations, and sustainability goals.

Military technology has long looked to the natural world for its cues, taking a page from a field called biomimetics, in which principles from chemistry, biology, and engineering are applied to human-fabricated materials, systems, or machines that function similarly to biological processes.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) was already headed toward a completely perimeter-less security environment before COVID-19. The DoD is operating, of necessity, in a wide-open virtual world, and new threats against its work force, tools, supply chains, and operations abound.

Military suppliers, being essential businesses, weathered the pandemic and economic shutdowns admirably thanks to strong defense funding. Yet even this stalwart industry is feeling the ill effects of the global chip shortage and the consequences of its reliance on offshore semiconductor manufacturing. The U.S. government is committed to returning chip production to the States, but whether that move will be enough and in time to save the industry is yet to be determined.

In the second episode of On the Radar, Emma Helfrich and John McHale discuss the first three of six total highlights pulled from the Innovation and Modernization chapter of the FY 2022 budget request and explain how they may influence the trajectory of military electronics. Topics covered include funding for science and technology research, advanced capability enablers, and space-based systems. With an overall goal of maintaining technological superiority over adversaries, Helfrich and McHale chat about how the DoD is preparing to innovate.